Extracurricular Activities
by Liz4
Summary: For Fallenfate's High School Challenge. E/B Lemony Goodness. AU/All human.


Title: Extracurricular Activities

Author: Liz

Rating: M

Paring: E/B, mentions of Em/R and J/A

Disclaimer: I don't own much and that includes any and all of these characters

Warning, thar be lemons ahead!

This is my first ever Twilight fan fic and it is for fallenfate's "High School Challenge," the parameters of which were the following:

**- Edward has to be a football player.**

**- Bella has to be a nerd I don't care what subject.**

**- Other than that, you can make can make the story your own.**

* * *

Edward Cullen rose from the small desk he was sitting at and stretched. _Finally_. It was 5pm on a Friday afternoon in early spring and Coach Gibbs had called an after school team meeting for the upcoming fall football season. So much of the meeting, dealing with everything from summer workouts to their homecoming game against the rival La Push Wolves, had been extremely dull and repetitive for Edward. However, as team captain and starting quarterback, he knew coach's "voluntary" meeting had really been more of a command performance where he was concerned.

He headed out of the classroom and to the parking lot to meet his brother, Emmett, and their best friend, Jasper Whitlock. The three had planned to go camping over the weekend, but the more Edward had thought about it during the tedious meeting, the more he had realized that what he really wanted to do more than anything was to go home, have dinner with his parents and his sister, Alice, and just relax. Maybe just listen to some music or read or watch a DVD with the rest of his family. Yes, a nice quiet evening in sounded very appealing right then.

Emmett and Jasper were standing by Emmett's jeep in the school parking lot when Edward found them. "It's about time!" Emmett called as Edward jogged across the parking lot to them. "Let's get going already."

"Um, actually, I think I'm going to pass on this one," Edward told them when he reached them. "Sorry, guys." Jasper and Emmett both looked surprised.

"Dude, we could have left hours ago!" Emmett exclaimed. It was true. As a graduating senior, Emmett hadn't had to attend the football meeting and Jasper was a starting member of the school's soccer team.

"I know," Edward said. "I'm really sorry, I just, I don't know, I'm really kinda wiped. I am really sorry that I made you guys wait for nothing, though."

Edward's expression was apologetic and Jasper couldn't help but smile. "Don't let Emmett fool you," he said easily. "Rosalie and Alice just left about five minutes ago anyway," he told him, referring to their girlfriends, "so it's not like we wouldn't have been here anyway."

"What can I say?" Emmett said. "Rose hates it when I go away. I'm just gonna have to make it up to her when I get back. Maybe I'll get to see some of that stuff she and Alice were going to pick up at Victoria's Secret tomorrow."

"Enough, please," Edward said, holding up his hand. He really didn't want to hear about how Emmett would "make up" his absence to his girlfriend.

Emmett grinned. "You're just jealous, little brother. Don't worry, that'll be you someday." Edward rolled his eyes in response but a wicked gleam came into Emmett's eye at the motion. "So is that it, then? Why you're staying?"

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked. "I just told you-"

"Yeah, I know what you said, but tell us the truth. Are you just staying so you can go to Taylor's party?" Emmett asked. "I don't know why you'd even care, though. It's not like she's going to be there anyway."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Edward said innocently. "I already told you I'm really tired. Plus, I just have a lot of work I need to catch up on if I don't want to fail my junior year."

"Right, like you would fail," Emmett snorted. "You've already been accepted early to Dartmouth, who cares what you do now?"

"I do," Edward said. It was a talk he and Emmett had had several times already but Edward was more than willing to continue it if it kept the conversation away from a certain subject.

No such luck.

"Okay, I'm sorry but I have to ask," Jasper said. "Who do you want to see so badly at a party that you would stay home from a camping trip with your best friends?"

Edward opened his mouth to speak but Emmett beat him to it. "It seems my dear brother here has a thing for brainy brunettes who go by the name Bella." He stopped a moment and then grinned. "How's that for some alliteration?"

"Emmett," Edward warned but his brother only laughed.

"What, it's not like it's a bad thing, Eddie." Edward cringed at the detested nickname that only Emmett was allowed to use. "I mean, I guess she's kind of cute and all-"

"She's beautiful," Edward interrupted and Emmett laughed loudly.

"Oh, yeah, you got it bad," Jasper said with a smile. "Though I wouldn't let Alice know if I were you. I have a feeling she'd be only too happy to play matchmaker for her brother."

Alice. The only person who knew how Edward felt about Bella. Irritation with his sister flashed through him. "I'm sorry, Jasper, but I'm going to have to kill your girlfriend," he informed Jasper.

Emmett laughed. "Nope, sorry little brother, it's not Alice's fault this time. I mean, of course she knows, she always seems to know, but she didn't tell me. Did you know that you, in fact, talk in your sleep?"

Jasper laughed along with Emmett as Edward flushed. "What were you doing in my room when I was asleep anyway?" Edward tried to shift the attention off of himself but Emmett was undeterred.

"I wanted to borrow your Frames CD," he responded with a smirk. "Couldn't find it, but whatever you were dreaming about was far more entertaining anyway."

"Don't you guys have somewhere you need to be going?" Edward asked, pointedly ignoring their laughter.

"Not trying to get rid of us, are you?" Emmett asked, feigning hurt.

"I can't imagine why I would want to do that," Edward responded dryly.

"How are you going to get home?" Jasper, ever the peacemaker, intervened before Emmett could provoke Edward any further. Edward, Emmett, and Alice carpooled to school every day but Alice had left with Rose and Emmett and Jasper were about to leave in the jeep, leaving Edward without a ride.

"I'll be fine," Edward said. "I want to go over and see if Doc's still here anyway," he told them, referring to his biology professor, Dr. Marin. "I wanted to talk to him about the final exam."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Nerd," he fake coughed. "Dude, it's April," he said in response to Edward's look.

"Some of us like to be prepared." Edward turned his attention back to Jasper. "And I'll just call Alice after I talk to him and ask her to come pick me up."

"Okay, cool. Come on, Emmett. Stop tormenting Edward and let's get moving so we can get there before it gets any later."

"All right, we'll see you Sunday, Edward," Emmett said. He grinned wickedly. "And if you happen to run into your brilliant goddess in the science wing, maybe you can see if she needs any help with her biology homework." Without waiting for a response, he jumped into the jeep and started it up.

Edward rolled his eyes at the juvenile joke and turned to Jasper. "Sorry, man," he said to Jasper. "Try not to kill the idiot while you're out there."

Jasper grinned. "No problem, have a good time this weekend, whatever you do. And Edward," he added, his tone earnest, "don't worry about Emmett, you know he's only teasing you. Bella's a very nice girl and she's very pretty. Given that he spends most of his time around Rose and Alice, Emmett doesn't really know how to act around a girl who _doesn't_ talk a blue streak."

Edward flushed. "God, has Alice sucked you into her matchmaking plans, too? Never mind, I don't want to know. I'll see you later, Jasper."

Jasper smiled. "Later." He climbed into the jeep with Emmett and with a wave the two boys tore out of the parking lot.

Shaking his head, Edward turned and walked toward the science building, cutting through the gym, which was connected to the building by a small hallway. As he walked, his thoughts turned to Taylor Solomon's party that night. Maybe he _should_ go. A lot of his friends would be there, after all. But he really couldn't get excited about the idea. He _was_ tired and Emmett had been right, there was no way Bella would be there anyway.

He smiled to himself as he allowed his thoughts to drift to Bella. Emmett was crazy, he decided to himself, but he knew a lot of guys overlooked Bella because she was so quiet and didn't always dress like every other girl in school. He, however, was not so blind and couldn't think of the words appropriate to describe her beauty, but she was certainly more than just _kind of cute_. She was gorgeous, beautiful, exquisite, perfect. And totally unattainable. He sighed and the smile dropped from his face.

To say that Edward and Bella did not run in the same social circles would be an understatement. Edward was the football team's starting quarterback. He had a lot of friends, though he considered Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie the only ones he could truly trust and count on at all times. He knew a lot of the girls in the school considered him attractive and he had had plenty of offers but was never interested in dating any of them. They all seemed the same to him, each one so like the next that sometimes he found them hard to tell apart and as an excuse he told his friends and family that he didn't see the point of dating in high school. His opinion on dating had changed, however, the first moment he had laid eyes on Bella Swan when she had come to Forks a little over a year ago in the middle of their sophomore year.

Bella was different to the other girls Edward knew at school. She was quiet, studious, a little awkward and clumsy. She had a small group of friends that she stuck to and rarely, if ever, ventured out of her group. She had never thrown herself at Edward the way many other girls had, and in fact rarely spoke more than two words to him at a time, usually consisting of hello or goodbye and his name.

None of this detracted from Edward's opinion of Bella in the least. She was beautiful to him, petite with flowing brown hair and deep brown eyes that showed her intelligence and her warmth. He found Bella's clumsiness endearing and often wished that he could be by her side to catch her when she stumbled, or kiss her better when she fell.

Sometimes he got the nagging feeling that Bella avoided him – in a school so small, he felt he should probably come into contact with her more than he did. But then he would tell himself he was just being paranoid and he really only felt that way because he watched for her when he was in the hallways or the cafeteria, hoping for just a glimpse of her pretty face. _Way to be a stalker_, he thought to himself. _She's just quiet and likes to keep to herself. It has nothing to do with you, you egotistical twit_.

He sighed to himself, wishing for the thousandth time that he had the guts to just walk up to her and ask her out. However, he knew a few guys had tried to ask her out and she had always turned them down. Fear of this perfect creature's rejection forced him to keep his feelings to himself, resigning himself to being with her only in his fantasies, no matter how much he admired her.

Bella was also incredibly smart, which intimidated a lot of the guys at school but was something Edward found sexy as hell, and as a result she was number one in the class rankings. Edward was number two, something few people outside of his family knew. He wasn't embarrassed by his intelligence, but it was something that came easily to him and he didn't see the point in bragging about it.

_And on that note_, he thought to himself as he came to the door of the biology room. Science was the one exception to subjects that came easily to him. He worked hard for his good grades in his science classes and he wanted to make sure he was well prepared for the final exam. Doc's exams were notoriously hard and Edward had no desire to lose his spot in the rankings.

He didn't hold out much hope that Doc would still be around this late on a Friday afternoon, but he really wanted to have the time this weekend to sort out his notes and set up a plan of attack for the exam and the rest of the quarter so he thought he might as well give it a shot since he was here anyway. He opened the door to the science room and stepped in. The lights were on but the room appeared to be empty.

He saw a messenger bag and a small pair of black kitten heeled shoes sitting on one of the biology tables closest to the open supply closet in the back of the room. A faint sound was coming from the closet and, dumping his bag on the table next to the shoes and other bag, he made his way to it. _Maybe whoever's in there knows where Doc is_, he thought hopefully. He poked his head around the door of the closet and stopped short, staring.

There before him stood the very girl he had just been thinking of, the girl his brother had been teasing him about earlier. The girl who had haunted his dreams more often than not since she had first moved to Forks. Bella Swan.

Bella was standing on a chair at the farthest end from the door in the supply closet, her fingers just pushing a microscope back into its place on a shelf above her head. Edward's eyes traveled from the messy bun in her mahogany hair down the form fitting white button down blouse and black pencil skirt she wore before reaching her bare feet. He realized that she had taken off her shoes before daring to climb onto the chair in deference to her clumsy nature. He smiled fondly at the scene before him before realizing that she was about to turn around. _Can't just be standing in the doorway like a freak_, he thought and quickly cleared his throat.

Bella turned quickly at the sound and immediately lost her footing on the chair with the sudden movement. Edward pushed off the door he had been leaning against and reached Bella's side in time to catch her in the cradle of his arms as she fell.

Bella's gasp was cut off as Edward caught her and she looked up at him in surprise. "Thanks," she said, mentally kicking herself for the breathless quality of her voice.

"Anytime," Edward answered honestly, entranced by the husky tone of her voice.

Suddenly, Bella seemed in a hurry to get out of Edward's arms and he struggled to set her down gently before he could drop her. "What?"

"The door!" she cried, running toward the entrance to the closet. "Don't let it-" _Click_ Bella stopped at the door as she heard it latch. "Close," she finished, shoulders slumping. "Shit."

"What?" Edward asked, coming to stand next to her. "It's just closed." He reached out a hand to turn the knob only to find that it would not budge. "Or not," he muttered.

"It only opens from the outside," Bella said quietly.

Edward turned to her in horror. "You mean we're locked in here?"

"Until someone comes into the biology room and opens it from out there, yes," Bella said wearily, sliding down the wall of the closet until she was sitting on the floor, her knees tucked against her side.

"Well someone will come and let us out soon, right?" Edward asked hopefully.

Bella gave him a look. "Edward, it is after 5pm on a Friday afternoon. Do you really think anyone's going to be hanging around school?"

"Well, you were," he pointed out reasonably. "And so was I."

"I was doing some extra research for Doc," Bella told him. There was nobody else in this area of the school as far as I know."

Edward turned and began banging on the door with his fist. "Hey! Is anybody out there? We're stuck in the closet! Help!" After a few moments, Edward finally stopped shouting and banging on the door, realizing that Bella was right and there was no one in the science wing to hear them. Edward groaned and sat down opposite Bella. "I think I can safely say no one from the team is going to be hanging around the science wing, either. Especially not when there's a house party at Taylor's tonight."

"So sorry to keep you from your important social engagement," Bella said sarcastically. "Maybe if you hadn't let the door shut in the first place, we wouldn't be stuck in here."

"Hey, I was just trying to catch you before you broke something," Edward retorted. "How was I supposed to know the damn door was going to lock behind me?"

Bella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm just not really excited at the prospect of spending the entire weekend trapped in the supply closet."

"I wasn't going to the stupid party anyway," Edward muttered under his breath. Then a thought struck him and he sat up straight. "We won't be stuck in here long anyway," he said confidently.

Bella opened her eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

"Your dad is the chief of police, Bella. When you don't come home, he'll have the whole force out looking for you," he said with a smirk.

Bella grimaced. "There's only one small problem with your brilliant solution. Charlie left early this morning for a fishing trip with his friend Billy. He won't be home until Sunday night."

"Oh." Edward's cocky smile disappeared but Bella brightened almost instantly as something occurred to her.

"What about your brother and sister? Won't they notice when you don't come home tonight?"

Edward shook his head. "Emmett and I were supposed to go camping with Jasper but I begged off at the last minute and they left without me. Alice doesn't know I changed my mind and she'll think I'm off camping with them." He sighed. "No one will worry until they get back on Sunday evening."

"Oh," Bella echoed softly, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

* * *

Nearly two hours later, the two were still sitting in the closet in silence. Edward was stealing yet another look at Bella when a strange sound came from her direction. Edward now stared at Bella openly as she flushed a deep red. "What was that?" Edward asked curiously. Bella muttered something Edward couldn't hear. "What?"

"I said it's my stomach," Bella said in a louder voice. "I'm hungry."

"Oh." Edward was silent a moment, realizing that he, too, was beginning to feel the first pangs of hunger. "I don't suppose you have any food in here, huh? In your pockets maybe?"

Bella gave him a look that seemed to question his mental competence. "No, Edward. First of all, I don't actually _have_ any pockets. And secondly, this is a biology supply closet, not your kitchen pantry."

"Okay, okay," he said, holding up his hands defensively. "Geez, I was just asking. You don't have to be so hostile."

"I'm hungry and I'm tired. I am _not_ hostile," Bella growled. She realized after she said it just how ridiculous she sounded and bit her lip to keep from smiling. One look at Edward's grinning face, however, and she quickly lost that battle as the two chuckled, breaking the tension.

"Okay," Edward said when he had stopped laughing. "We're stuck in here and we're hungry and we don't know when we're going to get out of here. We need something to distract us."

"Like what?"

"Come on, Bella, you're a smart girl. Surely you can come up with something."

"Nice try, Mr. Early Acceptance to Dartmouth," she said. She shrugged as he looked at her in surprise. "Word travels fast in a small town, even when you don't want it to."

Edward flushed slightly. That was one of the things he hated most about living in a small town – didn't people have anything else to talk about besides other people's lives?

"Don't think you're too special or anything," Bella said casually, trying to ease the embarrassment she saw on Edward's face. "I mean, I got in there, too, so it's not like you're the only one."

Edward looked up. "Really? You're going to Dartmouth, too?" He smiled. "That's really great."

Bella could feel her face heat up again and she tore her gaze from his face. _He's just being friendly_, she told herself. "I haven't decided yet," she told him, trying to regain control. "I just said I've been accepted."

Edward gave her a crooked grin but decided not to push it. "Well, we have who knows how much time to kill," he said after a moment. "Maybe we could just talk to keep our minds off of the situation."

"Okay," Bella agreed. "What did you want to talk about?"

"You."

"Me?" Bella squeaked. She took a moment to compose herself and spoke again. "What about me?"

"Well, I know you moved here from Phoenix last year. In fact, I think everyone in Forks knows that. What I'm curious about is why you moved here."

"You want to know why I came to Forks?" Edward nodded. "It's not exactly exciting," she warned him.

"That's okay. You tell me, and then you can ask me something, okay?"

Bella studied his face a moment before deciding he was being sincere. "Okay," she said with a sigh. "You asked for it." And she launched into a somewhat abridged version of the story of how Renee had left Charlie and Forks when Bella was only a few months old and taken up residence in Phoenix. How Bella had always felt more like the adult than Renee, how Renee had met Phil three years earlier while he was in Phoenix for spring training and how ecstatic Renee had been when Phil had asked her to marry him.

"So your mom sent you up here to Forks so the newlyweds could have some time alone together, huh?" Edward asked sympathetically.

Bella snorted. "Hardly. See, like I said, Phil's a minor league baseball player which means a whole lot of traveling and moving around. I could see how hard it was for mom to stay home with me when he was on the road, but I also know she would never abandon me. So I made the choice for her and said I wanted to come live with Charlie."

"Wow, that must have been tough. I mean, Phoenix and Forks aren't exactly similar climates."

Bella sighed wistfully. "Not even close. I loved Phoenix and its weather – it took me a long time to get used to not having the sun 365 days a year."

"Then why come here? I mean, what about your happiness? It doesn't seem right that you should have to be miserable."

"I'm not miserable," Bella responded defensively. "Besides, I have my whole life ahead of me to do what I want and live where I want to live. Right now, Renee has this, she has Phil and she is so happy with him. It's not right for me to make her feel like she has to choose. After everything she's done for me, the least I can do is let her enjoy being married to the guy she loves."

She saw the sympathetic look on Edward's face and bristled inwardly. She didn't need his pity! "Anyway, Charlie needs me here," she continued, trying to keep her tone light. "The man can't cook a meal to save his life. I have no idea how he survived alone up here as long as he did."

Edward could tell she was trying to change the subject and didn't press her on it. But inwardly he was thinking over all she had told him. He had known she was a nice person, but this went beyond everyday run of the mill kindness. She had taken care of her mother for most of her life and now she took care of her father, all without complaint or bitterness. She was perfectly willing to put her own life on hold to make the people she loved happy. He marveled at her selflessness, feeling his admiration for her grow by the moment.

"I bet changing schools sucked, huh?" he said, matching her casual manner. "I mean, coming here in the middle of high school and leaving all your friends behind couldn't have been easy."

Bella shrugged. "It really wasn't so bad." She hesitated a moment and then decided to tell Edward the truth. "I never really felt like I fit in in Phoenix anyway. Even though I lived there almost my whole life, it just never seemed like it was where I belonged." She held her breath, waiting for him to laugh at her for being a freak, but he only nodded understandingly, his emerald green eyes holding her brown ones for a long moment.

Eventually, Edward broke the silence and looked away. "So, it's your turn now," he told her. "Ask me something, anything."

Bella thought a moment before answering slowly, "Tell me about your family."

"My family?" He had definitely not seen that one coming. "What about them?"

"Well, I just told you about mine. Plus, I've always been an only child living with one parent at a time. What's it like to live in one place with your whole family? Do they drive you crazy or will you miss them when you're all away at school?"

Edward grinned. "Both. I usually want to kiss them and kill them at the same time. Seriously, I love my family." He met Bella's gaze with his own, his expression completely open and honest. "They're the people I feel closest to in the world. I have such amazing parents and I'm very close to my siblings. I know I can trust them to always be there for me when I need them, and sometimes even when I _don't_ want them there," he added with a small smile. "I know just how lucky I am to have six people I love who care about me so much as well."

"Six?" Bella questioned. She had thought Emmett and Alice were the only siblings Edward had.

Edward smiled again. "My parents, Emmett, Alice. Add in Rosalie Hale and Jasper Whitlock, and we're one rather large happy family. Rose and Jasper practically live at my house. In fact, it doesn't matter that Emmett's away, Rose is probably at our house right now anyway. My parents treat her and Jasper like two of their own kids; two of the guest bedrooms technically belong to them as it is. I think it's great, it's like having four siblings instead of just two. I love spending time with all of them. I've found I'm never as happy as when the seven of us are all together at the house. It doesn't even matter what we do, it's just nice to have all the people I consider to be my family around."

Bella smiled wistfully. "That sounds nice."

Edward smiled in response. "Yeah, it's pretty great most of the time. I think they worry about me, though," he confessed, not quite sure why he was telling Bella all this. "I've seen my mom looking at me when the seven of us are together at the house or on vacation or on holidays. I think it makes her a little sad that I don't have someone when the rest of them are all so insanely happy with their significant others."

"So you've never brought any of your girlfriends home to meet your family?" Bella asked in surprise.

Edward gave her a strange look. "I'd have to actually _have_ a girlfriend before I could bring one home, Bella."

"I'm sorry, maybe girlfriend is the wrong word in this case. I don't know what you call girls that you just sleep with and don't date," Bella said, pursing her lips in distaste.

"I don't know either," Edward responded quietly. "I've never been in that situation."

Bella met his gaze and was surprised at the truth she saw there. But of course Edward Cullen had slept with half the female population of the school. Hadn't he?

"But, I heard…"

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear, Bella."

"So you mean you never…" she trailed off, uncertain how to finish the question or even if she really wanted to know the answer.

"No, I mean I have never had sex with anyone, no matter what anyone else says," Edward said firmly. There was silence for a moment until he looked over at Bella again, his eyebrow raised. "Really, Bella, you don't strike me as the type to listen to rumors anyway. Why this one?"

Bella dropped her gaze to her lap. "I don't know," she mumbled. But in truth, she was starting to understand her own reasoning. She had been attracted to Edward Cullen from the moment she'd laid eyes on him – what girl wouldn't be? However, she had also known from that first moment she'd seen him that he was completely out of her league. It had been easier, she realized, to tell herself that all of the rumors about him were true, that Edward was an arrogant jerk and a slut, than to admit to herself just how entirely unobtainable he was. To make it his fault she didn't have a chance with him as opposed to it being because of her own shortcomings. And now, as she sat here with him talking about their families and Dartmouth, she felt that defense crumbling away and she realized just how much she liked Edward, how comfortable and happy she felt with him. She found herself thinking that suddenly, despite her hunger and the supposed inconvenience of it all, she didn't really mind being stuck in the biology closet at that moment.

With a start, Bella came out of her own thoughts and realized the silence had begun to stretch out between them. She fumbled desperately for something to say. "Well, it's not like it's anything to be embarrassed about," she blurted out. "A lot of people haven't had sex."

"I'm not embarrassed about it," he said calmly. "I'd only be embarrassed if I had had sex with the wrong person just so I could say I'd had sex." His lips turned up slightly. "What about you? Have you ever?"

Bella blushed to the roots of her hair but forced herself to meet his gaze. "No, I have never had sex, either," she said stiffly.

"Hard to believe," Edward mused quietly, almost to himself.

Bella jutted her chin out, eyes blazing. "And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Well, I just find it difficult to believe you haven't at least had some offers," he replied. "I mean, look at you."

Bella glared at him. "That is none of your business," she said haughtily. "And I know I'm not as pretty as some of the other girls in this school, but I would appreciate it if you did not feel the need to mock me while we're stuck in this closet together."

"Not as pretty?" Edward echoed. One look at her face told him this was not just an insecure teenage girl fishing for compliments – she actually believed what she had said. "No, Bella, not _as_ pretty. Much, much prettier."

"Now you're just making fun of me," Bella said angrily. "So if you're quite through with that, I have nothing else to say to you. I am going to try to get some sleep until someone comes to get us out of here."

Edward slid across the floor of the closet until he was at her side. "Bella, I'm _not_ making fun of you, can't you see that?" She refused to meet his gaze and, summoning all of his courage, Edward reached out his hand to cup her cheek, gently turning her to face him. "Do you really not see, Bella?" he whispered. Bella could only stare back at him silently, nearly unable to breathe at the touch of his hand on her face. "Beautiful Bella," he murmured, his thumb making gentle circles on her cheek. Bella's eyes closed at the soothing motion and she was unable to keep a sigh of pleasure from escaping.

It was Edward's undoing. Without even thinking about what he was doing or what he was risking, he leaned forward quickly and covered her lips with his own. Bella was shocked and for a moment all she could do was sit there. Then reality kicked in and she kissed Edward back, her arms sliding around him as she matched the passion in his kiss. Edward's arms pulled her closer and she gave herself over completely to the kiss then, her lips parting beneath his with a soft moan.

Bella's hands roamed over Edward's back as she kissed him. The thin sweater he wore felt far too thick to her wandering hands, and she hastily moved her hands down, quickly pulling his sweater up over his head and throwing it to the floor.

Edward moaned low in his throat as Bella's hands moved over his chest through the thin material of his button down shirt and his lips left hers, travelling down her jawline, her throat, to the first button on her blouse. "Why did you stop?" Bella asked breathlessly when Edward paused.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, his voice uneven. She nodded breathlessly and he began slowly unbuttoning her shirt, placing soft kisses against the flesh as he uncovered it. Finally, the buttons were undone and Edward pushed the shirt back and off her arms to drop on the floor behind her.

Bella moaned as Edward moved her backwards with the force of his kiss, stopping when her back came into contact with the wall behind her. She struggled with the buttons on his shirt as he reached his hands up to her hair and freed it from the rubber band holding it back. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders and Edward combed his fingers through it slowly. He then reached down to help Bella with the buttons on his shirt and he quickly divested himself of the garment, tossing it impatiently to the side. A low growl came from his throat as Bella's hands moved over his bare skin, her nails scraping lightly up and down his back. "Edward," she moaned as his lips left hers, traveling down her jawline, her throat, to the top of her lacy cream colored bra, his lips and tongue leaving a hot, wet trail behind them.

Edward slid his hands behind Bella's back to the closure of her bra. At Bella's nod he gently unfastened the clasp and slid the straps forward over her arms. Her bra fell to the floor and Edward turned to look at her. "God, Bella," he whispered hoarsely. "You're beautiful." Bella blushed, then leaned down to capture Edward's lips with her own once more.

Edward locked eyes with her as he moved his head down close to one of her breasts. Still looking into her eyes he gently captured her right breast in his mouth and gently sucked. Bella gasped at the exquisite feeling, throwing her head back and closing her eyes. At her gasp, Edward immediately stopped and looked up at her. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I thought you wanted me to stop," he said.

"God, no!" she said. "That felt amazing."

Edward smiled. "Good. If I do anything you don't like, tell me." She blushed but nodded and he returned his attention to her right breast. He began to circle her breast with his tongue, starting at the base and tracing ever diminishing circles until he reached her nipple and again took it in his mouth. Bella moaned in pleasure and reached her hands down to run them through Edward's hair. He switched his mouth to her left breast, but continued fondling her right one. He then moved his mouth from her breast as he began to trail kisses down to her flat stomach.

When he reached the top of her skirt, he looked up into her eyes again. Her eyes dark with passion, she nodded almost imperceptibly down at him. He unfastened her skirt and eased it gently down over her hips. Edward felt his pants tighten painfully when he saw that Bella was wearing thigh high stockings and lacy underwear that matched the bra he had just thrown to the floor.

He ran his hands slowly up her stockinged right leg and Bella shivered at his gentle touch. When he reached the top of the thigh high, he eased his fingers under it and began to slowly roll it down her leg. His lips followed the stocking down her leg, pressing light kisses to each newly bared bit of skin. When he had removed one stocking, he turned his attention to her other leg and repeated the process. Then he very slowly began to press kisses up her legs until he reached the barrier of her underwear.

Edward ghosted his fingers across her underwear, delighting in Bella's excited moans. He slid his hands into either side of her waistband and soon her panties joined the clothing pile as Bella stood before him, entirely naked. Edward straightened up once more and caught Bella's already swollen lips in a demanding kiss. Bella shivered at what this kiss promised.

Leaving her lips once more, Edward moved to kneel in front of her. He gently kissed her hipbone, then trailed his tongue across her stomach to her other hipbone. As he was doing this, he gently slid his finger into her center. She was ready for him and his finger easily slid inside of her. Her back arched and she moaned as he gently stroked her clit. "Oh, God," she managed to gasp. "Oh, Edward!" She gasped when she realized that his tongue, which seemed even more talented than his finger, had replaced his finger. His tongue continued and Bella mewled softly, her head lolling backward as she reached down and fisted a hand in Edward's hair.

Her gasps and moans stopped suddenly and Edward almost raised his head to ask her what was wrong before she began to cry out in sheer ecstasy and her knees closed in around his head as she reached her climax. He continued to gently stroke her until she finished crying out, then he stood once more, kissing her sweetly and holding her close. They stood, just holding each other for a few moments, while Bella regained her strength. When Bella felt she had recovered enough, she reached up and began kissing Edward's throat, moving her kisses up to nibble at his ear while he moaned in pleasure. Bella trailed her kisses across from his ear until she met his lips with her own in a passionate, sensual kiss.

Edward was surprised by the sudden onslaught, but held his own as their tongues engaged in a mock battle for supremacy. Bella ran her hands over Edward's bare chest, then continued sliding her hands down until they reached the top of his jeans. Her hand slipped down between them and she stroked the bulge in the front of Edward's jeans. Edward instantly felt himself grow harder, and Bella couldn't help giggling at the on his face. "I think it's time to get these off," she purred into his ear.

Edward could only nod his agreement, toeing off his sneakers while Bella undid the button on his jeans and slid the zipper down. She hooked her fingers over the waist of his jeans and began to slowly slide them down his legs. Edward lifted one leg at a time, never taking his eyes from Bella's face, and only too happy to assist her in the removal of his clothing. Finally, he stood before her in only his boxers, and Bella looked up at him with a wicked gleam in her eye.

She ran her fingers slowly down Edward's chest and Edward had to remember to tell himself to breathe. "God, Bella," he groaned.

She reached the top of his boxers and stopped. "Oh, that's right," she said teasingly, moving her fingers to the waistband of his boxers. "Gotta get rid of these first." She quickly stripped Edward of his boxers and then stepped back a moment, taking a moment to drink in the sight before her. Edward was bigger than she had expected, not that she really had anything to base that comparison on. She moved towards him again and took him gently in her hand. She heard his breath hiss out above her and she looked up quickly, wondering if she had hurt him. The look of intense pleasure on his face reassured her that hurting him was the last thing her actions had done.

She ran her hands softly down the length of his shaft and heard Edward groan above her. Remembering all of those smutty romance novels Renee had always had lying around the house before she met Phil, Bella slowly lowered herself down to her knees in front of Edward. Then she leaned forward and slowly, gently took him in her mouth. His reaction was immediate, and she felt him jerk beneath her. "Bella," he moaned, gripping her shoulders. She ran her tongue over the tip, then took him entirely in her mouth, her tongue swirling around his shaft as she slid her mouth towards the end of his shaft and then back towards the tip. She repeated the motion twice before she decided to try something different. She hummed softly and heard Edward gasp at the vibrations her mouth was causing.

His hands on her shoulders tightened and he pulled her up. "God, Bella, if you keep doing that I'm not going to be able to hold on much longer. And I want to be inside of you when that happens."

Bella blushed but nodded and Edward sank to the floor on his knees with Bella in his arms. Reaching behind her, he found his discarded shirt and carefully spread it out on the floor behind Bella, one hand still holding her against his chest. "I thought the floor might be cold," he murmured when he met her gaze. Bella smiled at him tenderly and allowed him to lay her back onto the shirt. Edward leaned forward to kiss her again, and Bella returned his kiss hungrily, suddenly extremely eager to get to what she knew was coming next.

Edward reached down and gently spread her legs apart, then slowly lowered himself over her. He rested his weight on his arms so as not to crush her and Bella could feel his erection pressing against her opening. "Are you sure?" he asked her gently.

"Yes," she told him, meeting his gaze head on. "I'm sure."

"Oh shit," she heard him groan. "Bella, I'm sorry, but I don't have a condom." He pulled himself back a bit, his face pained. "We can't-"

Bella instantly missed the feeling of his skin on her own and she pulled him back to her. "I'm on the pill, it's okay."

Their eyes met and Edward nodded slowly, leaning forward to press his lips against hers tenderly as he entered her. She was so tight, and he was about to ask her if she was sure when she pulled him even closer to her and he thought he felt something tear in her. He held her a moment, not daring to move. "Are you all right?"

"Yes." Bella was slightly surprised; she'd always heard that this part hurt the first time, but she had barely felt even a twinge. She looked up at Edward and nodded, giving him a small smile to let him know that everything really was okay.

Edward smiled back and then began moving inside of her. He moved slowly at first, letting each of them get used to the feeling, and then began to increase the intensity of his movements. Bella closed her eyes, her fingernails digging into his bare back as he thrust inside of her, wanting to draw Edward closer to her. She wrapped her legs around his back, pulling him even deeper inside of her, and she could feel any ounce of control she might have had left slipping away as she gave herself over to the feelings Edward was evoking in her. "Oh my God," she moaned, feeling herself nearing orgasm for the second time that evening.

Bella reached her climax, moaning Edward's name, and an instant later she felt him tense beneath her. He groaned her name as he came, his body shuddering with the force of his orgasm, and then coming to rest against hers.

Edward rolled off of Bella and pulled her against his body. They stayed wrapped in each other's arms for several moments afterwards, silently enjoying the feel of being in each other's arms. "That was amazing," Edward finally murmured, looking into Bella's eyes. "You are amazing."

Bella blushed but couldn't keep the blissful smile off her face. "You weren't so bad yourself," she teased. He gave her a look of mock hurt and she giggled. "Okay, maybe more than not so bad," she amended. "Maybe-"

"Maybe incredible, earth shattering, beautiful, fantastic-"

Bella placed a finger against his lips, still smiling. "Maybe all of those. And maybe wonderful."

Edward smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. "It was at that," he agreed softly.

They lay there a few moments more before Edward noticed that Bella was shivering slightly. "I think we should probably get some clothes on," he said reluctantly. "Wouldn't want them to find two frozen students on Monday morning."

Bella agreed, though she was loath to move from the comfort of Edward's arms. They slowly sat up and began gathering their clothes. Bella had pulled her underwear and skirt back on and quickly snagged her shirt from the floor. However, the moment she pulled it on, she realized that she was in fact wearing Edward's button down and not her own. She went to take it off but Edward stopped her. He buttoned the middle four buttons on the shirt and then rolled up the sleeves on each arm. "I think it looks better on you," he said as he stepped back to admire his handiwork. Bella blushed but she had to admit that she certainly liked the way it felt to be wearing Edward's clothing.

"Want to try to get some sleep?" Edward asked her.

"But aren't you going to be cold if I'm wearing your shirt?" She suddenly realized, staring at his bare chest.

"Guess you'll just have to keep me warm. Body heat can be very effective," Edward replied, his tone serious even as a crooked grin spread across his face.

"Dirty job but someone's got to do it," Bella joked.

Edward laughed out loud and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. When he released her, he searched the floor a moment until he located his black sweater in the corner. He picked up the sweater and folded it into a square before placing it back on the ground. "Looks like I'll be camping this weekend after all," said with a grin. He lay down on his back, his head on the makeshift pillow, and held his arms out to Bella.

Bella went willingly into Edward's arms, snuggling against his side and resting her head on his chest as his arm tightened around her. "Goodnight, love," Edward said softly.

Bella smiled sleepily. "Goodnight," she murmured.

Edward stared down at the beautiful girl in his arms and couldn't keep a smile from his lips. He didn't care that they were trapped in a closet and didn't know when they would get out, he didn't care that they didn't have food or a bathroom or any of the other things one would normally worry about in such a situation. All he knew was that he had the girl he loved in his arms.

Woah, wait a minute, the girl he loved? And in a moment of clarity, he knew. Knew as surely as he knew his family loved him, as surely as he knew he didn't want to ever let Bella go again. He had never before felt so comfortable, so happy with another person. He loved her. He tested it out silently, waiting for fear or anxiety to present itself. But there was no fear. Instead, there was only a sense of completeness and belonging, a warmth that settled comfortably and spread through him until he swore he could feel it in his bones.

He smiled contentedly at Bella, her even breathing telling him she was asleep. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her hair, pulling her even more closely to his side. "Goodnight, my beautiful Bella." And somewhere in that world between dreams and reality, Bella heard his words, and she smiled.

* * *

Bella awoke sometime later, still curled up against Edward's side. His arm was resting loosely across her waist and she took a moment just to enjoy the warmth of his body against her own. She was just contemplating going back to sleep for a little while longer when she felt the fog in her brain begin to lift as she realized what had woken her up in the first place. Someone was in the biology room. "Hello? Is someone in here? Do these bags belong to someone?" Bella recognized the voice of her best friend Angela Weber and she shot up from her place in Edward's arms, waking him rather suddenly from a very contented sleep.

"Angela? Angela!" Bella jumped from the floor and ran to the door of the closet.

"Bella? Where are you?" Angela's puzzled voice called.

"I'm locked in the closet, Ang." She banged twice on the door. "Please get me out of here!"

"The closet? Hold on, Bella. I'll have you out in a sec."

"Bella, wait!" Edward whispered loudly.

In her excitement at the prospect of their freedom, Bella had forgotten that she was still wearing Edward's shirt while Edward himself was bare-chested, wearing only his jeans.

The door opened with a click and the two blinked at the bright sunlight streaming through the windows of the biology room. Angela stood on the other side of the door, a bewildered expression on her face. "Bella, are you okay? What are you doing in there?" Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the sight of Edward pulling his sweater over his head. She turned her full attention back to Bella. "Are you all right?" she asked softly.

Bella nodded. "It's a long story," she muttered, stepping around Angela and into the classroom. She grabbed her bag and shoes from the table and dared to glance back at Edward, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. He said nothing, smiling out at her from the doorway to the closet.

Bella could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and she hurried to the door. "Thanks, Angela," she said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bella, wait!" Angela said urgently. Bella paused, hand on the doorknob. "The gym and main entrance are packed with people. Super Science Saturday," she explained at the questioning look on Edward's face. "That's why I'm here, to help set up and monitor the kids. And there are a lot of them out there with their parents. You might want to go out the side door to the parking lot."

"Thanks, Angela." And without another word or glance back at the two people still in the room, Bella flew out the door and down the hallway to the building's side exit.

The cool of the early spring morning did nothing to cool the blush Bella felt flaming on her face. Her thoughts and emotions whirled violently as she all but ran to her truck.

What had happened the night before? She felt like laughing and crying and screaming and dancing all at the same time. Had any of it really happened? They had talked like they'd known each other forever, sharing things about their families and their lives in general that she was pretty sure neither of them normally talked about with other people. He had told her she was beautiful and he had kissed her. They had even, well, Bella wasn't sure what to call it. It was more than sex, she knew that. They had been connected on every level, in every way possible, and it had been the single most amazing experience of Bella's life.

Much as she didn't want to admit it, even to herself, she knew that she was now 100 head over heels in love with Edward Cullen. And while she knew this walking on air feeling couldn't last, she still had her memories of being wrapped in Edward's arms, of the way he had kissed her and touched her and made her feel like she really was beautiful. Right now she just wanted a chance to get home and relive the amazing night at least once before reality could step in to ruin everything.

As she reached the truck she began fumbling through her bag for her keys. After a few seconds she located them and pulled them from her bag with shaky fingers. She quickly unlocked the driver's side door and was just tossing her bag and shoes into the cab when she heard someone call her name.

"Bella."

She forced herself to slowly turn and face Edward, wishing for the millionth time that she didn't blush quite so easily or so often. Her breath caught at the sight of him in the early morning light – his hair shining like burnished copper and his pale skin almost ethereal in the soft glow.

And as she took in his breathtaking beauty, she felt her spirits plummet. There was no way this angelically beautiful boy was meant to be with her. Not her, not plain old Bella. He had probably come after her to make sure she wouldn't tell anyone what had transpired between them the night before. She laughed bitterly to herself. Not that anyone would ever believe it anyway. She steeled herself for the rejection she knew she was coming, begging her eyes to hold back her tears until she was safely home and could sob her heartbreak out in private.

She forced herself to meet Edward's gaze and he smiled gently back at her. "I thought you wouldn't want to forget these," he said, coming closer to where she stood to hand her the shirt and knee highs she had left on the floor of the biology room closet.

"Oh, I, uh…thanks," Bella finished lamely as she took the clothing from his outstretched hand. She balled it up in her hands and stared at it, cheeks burning, half-afraid that she just might spontaneously combust right there in the parking lot.

Edward was still standing in front of her silently and Bella raised her head to find him staring at her. "Oh!" she realized. "You, um, you probably want this back," she said, tugging nervously on the sleeve of his shirt. "I, well, I guess I could go into the bathroom and change. Or I could take it home and wash it first-"

Edward cut her off, placing a gentle finger against her lips. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Like I said before, I think it looks better on you anyway." He smiled crookedly. "But you might want to stop by your house and change before I take you out to breakfast. You know how people in this town love to talk."

"Breakfast?" Why was he doing this to her, why was he dragging it out? "I, I can't." She was not going to go off somewhere with him so he could let her down easy. The parking lot would do just as well as anywhere else for what she knew he was about to say. She wished he'd just hurry up and say he'd made a mistake and make her promise not to tell anyone and then she could go home and cry into her pillow.

"What, are you embarrassed to be seen with me?" Edward teased. "You know, it's going to be very difficult to be with you if you refuse to be seen with me in public." He smiled but his body was tense as he awaited her response.

With her? Bella's heart began to race. Surely, he couldn't mean what she thought. What she wanted him to mean more than anything else in the world. She swallowed twice against her suddenly dry throat and fought to keep her voice even. "What are you saying, Edward?"

Edward met her gaze with his own and when he spoke his voice was serious. "I'm saying I don't want this to be a one off. Bella, you're the smartest, most beautiful and amazing girl I have ever met."

Bella stared at him suspiciously for a moment, her eyes widening as she saw the truth of his words reflected in his expression. "But, I, are you sure?" she stammered. _Great, now I can't even get a coherent sentence out. So much for being the smartest girl he's ever met_, she thought fleetingly to herself.

Edward sighed and stepped even closer, cupping her face in his hands. "Positive." And then he was kissing her, so tenderly she could feel tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

Edward broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. "So, what do you say?" he asked, still holding her face between his hands. "Think you could get used to having me around on a daily basis?"

Bella smiled warmly. "I think I could definitely get used to that."

Edward smiled back, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of her nose before stepping back and taking one of her hands in both of his. "Good," he said, a cocky smile appearing on his face. "'Cause, see, I kind of have the rest of the weekend where my parents don't expect me home and your dad is away on a fishing trip until tomorrow night."

Bella couldn't help but laugh at the mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Well, that sounds good to me, but won't you get in trouble with your parents when they find out?"

Edward shrugged. "I'll call Alice. She'll help me think of something or at least run interference until I can hook up with Jasper and Em again."

"Will she do that?"

Edward nodded. "Of course. I cover for her and Jasper all the time," he told her with a grin. "And besides, I'm sure Alice will be only too happy to help once she hears you're involved." Bella looked puzzled. "Alice has known how I feel about you almost as long as I have," Edward explained. "Possibly even longer. She's pretty, um, intuitive about things like that. She'll be happy for me. She likes you, she thinks you're a very nice girl and you'll be good for me."

Bella blushed but couldn't hold back the slightly giddy laughter that escaped her lips. She couldn't believe this was really happening. She doubted anyone else would, either. The thought sobered her up quickly and she looked down at her bare feet. "You know, no one's going to believe this," she mumbled to Edward.

"Believe what? That we got locked in the biology closet overnight?"

Bella shook her head. "That the incredibly handsome, talented, popular football star Edward Cullen wants to be with boring, plain old Bella Swan."

Edward's finger slid under Bella's chin and he tilted her face up to meet his incredulous gaze. "You really don't see yourself very clearly at all," he told her. "Every guy in this school is going to be sick with envy and wondering why gorgeous, kind, brilliant Bella Swan is with a dumb jock like Edward Cullen."

Bella smacked him lightly in the shoulder. "You're not dumb," she told him sternly.

Edward caught her hand. "And you are as far from plain and boring as a person can get," he responded seriously. "Besides, I don't really care what anyone else thinks or says. As long as I get to be with you, nothing else matters. Okay?"

Bella's heart felt like it would burst right out of her chest with happiness and she couldn't stop a goofy grin from spreading across her face. "Okay," she agreed.

"Besides, I can list four people off the top of my head that I know are going to be happy for us and that's not even counting my mom and dad," Edward said with a cheeky grin as he leaned forward to kiss her again. Bella leaned in to meet his lips with her own but stopped suddenly and Edward heard her groan quietly. "What's wrong?"

"Jessica," she muttered darkly.

Edward turned to where Bella's gaze was fixed behind him. Jessica Stanley, possibly the biggest gossip in the entire town of Forks, stood next to her car across the parking lot from where Bella and Edward stood, gaping at them in shock.

As Bella watched, a sly smile crossed Edward's face. "Just the person I wanted to see," he mumbled. "Hey, Jessica," he called, raising his voice so she would hear. "Would you mind doing me a favor? Could you let the guys in school know that Bella is no longer available and is in fact very much spoken for?"

"Edward!" Bella gasped softly.

He turned to give her a quick smile and squeezed her hand gently before turning back to Jessica. "Oh, and also, could you let the girls know I'm taken as well? As in, one hundred percent property of Bella."

Jessica remained where she was, still staring at the couple, as Edward turned back to Bella with a triumphant expression on his face. Bella knew she should probably be annoyed with Edward for what he had just done, but the look on his face was too much and she giggled instead.

"Would you like to go get breakfast now?" he asked, taking her hand and helping her into the truck.

"I would love to," Bella replied. Edward closed the door and came around to slide into the passenger seat next to her. Bella looked into the rearview mirror and giggled as he pulled the door closed behind him. "Jessica's still standing there. And you know this will be all over school before Monday," she warned him with a smile.

A crooked grin spread slowly across Edward's face. "I'm counting on it," he said softly, leaning forward to capture her lips with his own once more.

END


End file.
